The Mysterious Affair at Styles (Dramatised)

This is the very first Poirot/Hastings story. Set in 1916, we meet Captain Hastings as he is invalided out of the Great War and goes to convalesce at Styles Court, the family home of his great friend, John Cavendish. By an extraordinary coincidence, billeted in the village is a brilliant little retired detective with an egg-shaped head, who made a considerable impression on the Captain when he was in Belgium. Styles is not a happy household and in the blistering summer heat, tensions mount.

Most Entertaining!

I thoroughly enjoy the BBC radio dramatizations of the Agatha Christie novels. They are well done and the Mysterious Affair at Styes, is no exception.

Murder on the Links (Dramatised)

BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation starring John Moffatt as Hercule Poirot. When Poirot arrives in France, following an urgent appeal for help, he finds he is too late. His client, a South American millionaire, has been stabbed to death and his body flung into a freshly dug open grave on the golf course adjoining the property. Meanwhile the millionaire's wife is found bound and gagged in her room. Poirot launches an investigation and the baffling mystery begins to unfold.

Sometimes a book goes temporarily out of print - and sometimes no audio version has ever been recorded. Audible wants to give you the most complete selection we can and we'll keep adding series and filling in gaps as quickly as possible.

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (Dramatised)

A BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation starring John Moffatt as Hercule Poirot. Mrs Farrars is found dead of an apparent overdose one year after the death of her husband. The villagers of King's Abbot are suspicious. The rumour is that she poisoned her husband and was in love with Roger Ackroyd. When he is found murdered the following day, there is little to go on. Luckily one of the newest residents who has retired to this normally quiet village is none other than Monsieur Hercule Poirot.

A good way to wile away time

A typical Agatha Christie but short and well narrated. Story is a bit typical with the famouse Agatha Christie confrontation at the end

Sometimes a book goes temporarily out of print - and sometimes no audio version has ever been recorded. Audible wants to give you the most complete selection we can and we'll keep adding series and filling in gaps as quickly as possible.

Sometimes a book goes temporarily out of print - and sometimes no audio version has ever been recorded. Audible wants to give you the most complete selection we can and we'll keep adding series and filling in gaps as quickly as possible.

The Mystery of the Blue Train (Dramatised)

A millionaire strikes a deal on the seedier side of Paris and a priceless cache of rubies becomes destined for his beloved daughter Rachel. Two days later Rachel is dead - murdered on a train on her way to the Riviera to meet her scoundrel lover: a mysterious, dark man. The suspects line up... only master slueth Hercule Poirot can unravel the mystery and find the truth. Maurice Denhham stars as the great Belgian detective in this BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation.

Excellent story... different Poirot than usual

I have become addicted to the dramatized Poirot stories in the past year or so. After listening to about 20 of them, I have noticed a few things. So..Show More »me seem to follow a rather set pattern while others go along in a seemingly nonsensical way until -bam!- the solution appears.

This book is unique in that where it has many elements of other Agatha Christie tales (ex: a murder on a train, a romance that may or may not be a good idea, Poirot's ambiguity on certain moral issues) it stands apart in how the story plays out. As usual, there are suspects a-plenty, but every time you think you have the killer pegged, that's about the time a new prime suspect crops up. It should keep you engaged all the way through without the annoying "Oh, it's obvious that guy did it and now I have to listen to 2 more hours of an unnecessary story" syndrome.

There was one main difference in this dramatization from the majority (or even all) of the others available: Hercule Poirot is voiced by a different actor. I was really used to John Moffat in the role and as such, hearing Maurice Denham exercising his "little grey cells" was a little hard for me. It was a little like switching Darrens (or Beckys, depending on your generation) and that took me out of the story. But after listening to it 3 or 4 times (yes, it's good enough to do that), he grew on me. I still prefer John Moffat, but not to the point where I can't listen.

As for the rest of the main cast, I don't know all the names, but the voices for Mr Van Alden, Major Knighton, Katherine Grey and Derek Kettering seemed spot on. The voice for Mirelle was really shrill and grating, but that fit the character perfectly. Ruth Kettering sounded like she was the same actress as Louise from "Murder in Mesopotamia" and for some reason, I can't see her as either of those characters. Her voice has a slight lisp to it that doesn't fit with the image of a glamorous femme fatale, but that's my take. The voice of Ada Mason just drove me batty, but again, maybe that was the point for the character.

All in all, this is one of my favorite Poirot stories. I really recommend it if you enjoy Agatha Christie at all.

Peril at End House (Dramatised)

A BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation starring John Moffatt as the great Belgian detective. Hercule Poirot and his good friend Captain Hastings are enjoying a well-deserved break on the Cornish Riviera, in the idyllic village of St Loo. Wandering along the terrace of the Hotel Majestic on the first morning of their stay, Poirot literally falls at the feet of a pretty, dark-haired girl and, much to Hastings’ delight, insists that she join them for a cocktail.

Another fun Poirot mystery

The production was well done with a number of interesting characters. Poirot comes out of retirement once again to help a damsel in distress. Enjoyed ..Show More »the development of the storyline and the surprise ending.

Lord Edgware Dies (Dramatised)

‘Monsieur Poirot, somehow or other I’ve just got to get rid of my husband!’ No sooner had she uttered the words than Lady Edgware’s husband was dead, brutally stabbed in the neck. The evidence against her is overwhelming, the case cut and dried. But what was the truth behind it all? What enemies lurked in the background of the victim’s life? Hercule Poirot is on the case, intrigued once more, ready to investigate murder in the library...

Murder on the Orient Express (Dramatised)

An international cast of suspects, all passengers on the crowded train, are speeding through the snowy European landscape when a bizarre and terrible murder brings them to an abrupt halt. One of their glittering number lies dead in his cabin, stabbed a mysterious twelve times. There is no lack of clues for Poirot - but which clue is real and which is a clever plant?

Top performance of a classic story

This story has some unique features among Agatha Christie's books. There's no second murder to help narrow down the suspects, and Poirot must solve t..Show More »he crime in a matter of hours. Even if you've read the story before, this dramatisation is still worth listening to. The sound effects may not be quite movie standard, but they're convincing none the less. The acting is good, and the script writer left the original story alone. And for those of us who can't see, we can follow the story as well as our sighted friends staring at the radio. A pleasant two hours listening.

Three Act Tragedy (Dramatised)

Hercule Poirot is a guest at a weekend house party, given at the Cornish clifftop home of the celebrated actor Sir Charles Cartwright. The other visitors include keen amateur detective Mr Satterthwaite and distinguished Harley Street nerve specialist Sir Bartholomew Strange. Death visits the house soon after Poirot's arrival, the victim an elderly clergyman who's only had a sip of dry martini. What else was in the glass? Are natural causes to blame... or murder?

Death in the Clouds (Dramatised)

A full-cast BBC Radio 4 dramatisation of an Agatha Christie story. On a flight from Le Bourget to Croydon, on which Hercule Poirot is an apprehensive passenger, a woman is found dead. A doctor on board is inclined to put it down to a wasp-sting, but Poirot suspects that a poisoned dart is the real cause - and, perhaps rather too conveniently, a blow pipe is discovered stuffed down the back of his seat. Clearly the murder can only have been committed by one of the passengers or crew on the plane.

Vintage Christie

I'm a huge fan of all the BBC radio full-cast adaptations of Dame Agatha's books.

The A.B.C. Murders (Dramatised)

A BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation starring John Moffatt as the great Belgian detective with Simon Williams and Philip Jackson. Alice Ascher, a poor, elderly shopkeeper, is murdered in Andover. Betty Barnard, a young waitress, is strangled with her own belt at Bexhill-on-Sea. Next comes Carmichael Clarke, collector of Chinese art, clubbed to death in Churston. Only in Doncaster does the pattern vary: the man found stabbed in the Regal Cinema is called George Earsfield.

Murder in Mesopotamia (Dramatised)

Crime sleuth Hercule Poirot returns in a thrilling BBC Radio 4 dramatisation. Amy Leatheran has never felt the lure of the mysterious East, but when she travels to an ancient site deep in the Iraqi desert to nurse the wife of a celebrated archaeologist; events prove stranger than she could ever have imagined. Her patient’s bizzarre visions and nervous terror seem unfounded, but as the oppressive tension in the air thickens, events come to a terrible climax - in murder...

Compulsive listening

This adaptation is brilliant achievement that keeps you actively involved from start to end. The acting is wonderfully subtle, offering some new persp..Show More »ectives on very familiar characters. I really enjoyed it and would recommend it with all my heart to those who want to feel good for a couple of days.

Cards on the Table (Dramatised)

A BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation starring John Moffatt as Hercule Poirot with Stephanie Cole and Donald Sinden. Hercule Poirot, along with three other luminaries from the world of crime detection, is invited to dinner by the renowned London socialite Dr Shaitana. Also on the guest list are four members of what Shaitana calls his Black Museum - a collection of murderers who have each succeeded in 'getting away with it'. After midnight, when the guests prepare to leave, they make a terrible discovery.

Cards on the table.

A great cast bring this story to life. Very gripping and engrossing. Well worth the money and I loved it.

Dumb Witness (Dramatised)

As Hercule Poirot sifts through his post one particular morning, he alights upon a letter from an elderly and (as it transpires), exceedingly rich spinster - Miss Emily Arundell. She is clearly in great distress and seeking his help, but doesn’t say why. Her only specific mention is ‘the incident of the dog’s ball’. However, what intrigues Poirot is the date of the communication - it was written two months ago. He persuades Captain Hastings that they must visit the lady with all haste.

Classic Poirot and Hastins

Yes. It is a good English mystery. It has ungrateful family members, a questionable companion, wacky neighbors and a clever dog.

Reviewed on December 08 2013
by Laura
(Philadelphia, PA, United States)

Sometimes a book goes temporarily out of print - and sometimes no audio version has ever been recorded. Audible wants to give you the most complete selection we can and we'll keep adding series and filling in gaps as quickly as possible.

Sometimes a book goes temporarily out of print - and sometimes no audio version has ever been recorded. Audible wants to give you the most complete selection we can and we'll keep adding series and filling in gaps as quickly as possible.

Sometimes a book goes temporarily out of print - and sometimes no audio version has ever been recorded. Audible wants to give you the most complete selection we can and we'll keep adding series and filling in gaps as quickly as possible.

Hercule Poirot's Christmas (Dramatised)

A BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation starring Peter Sallis as the great Belgian detective. Tyrannical millionaire Simeon Lee has been estranged from most of his family for years. But now, on Christmas Eve, the old man calls them all together once more. Unable to disobey, the children gather uneasily and wonder what their father’s intentions are. Does he want to clear up past misunderstandings or cause fresh mischief? Before they can find out, a deafening crash is heard overhead.

Amateurish, uneven production

This production is so badly done for so many reasons that I hardly know where to start with this review. I'll try using highlights:

1. H..Show More »ercule Poirot speaks with an English accent. The performer makes a poor attempt to mimic a French accent but fails utterly.
2. One performer does produce a believable French accent. The only problem is that the character speaking that accent is from Spain!
3. The abridgment is careless and sloppy. Audio fades are used during critical conversations and events, disrupting the continuity. The arrivals and departures of key characters have been removed in several places, making it impossible to know who is and isn't present at the start of any scene.
4. Hercule Poirot is a minor player. He does nothing but say things like "Yes, curious" and "No, curious" for most of the production. His presence in England is never explained satisfactorily. No time at all is given to his thoughts, emotions, and ideas. Even at the end, when he manufactures his solution, he states facts and evidence he's never discussed or seen in this butchered production.

If you are a fan of Agatha Christie and/or Hercule Poirot, avoid this half-baked BBC attempt to milk the Christie cash cow. The milk is sour.

Sometimes a book goes temporarily out of print - and sometimes no audio version has ever been recorded. Audible wants to give you the most complete selection we can and we'll keep adding series and filling in gaps as quickly as possible.

Sad Cypress (Dramatised)

A BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation starring John Moffatt as Hercule Poirot, the great Belgian detective. Elinor Carlisle and Roddy Welman are the model English couple, perfect companions set for a life of ease when they inherit Aunt Laura's considerable fortune. But a poison pen letter begins a chain of events which is to end in tragedy.

Terrific, Layered Mystery

The BBC Agatha Christie dramatizations are at the top of my list.

Reviewed on December 08 2013
by Laura
(Philadelphia, PA, United States)

One, Two, Buckle My Shoe (Dramatised)

Poirot has always hated visiting the dentist, but this time his check-up is painless and soon over. As he leaves Mr Morley's surgery, he observes a woman wearing patent leather shoes with large buckles. She catches one of the buckles on the taxi door and wrenches it off, and as Poirot hands it back, he is reminded of the children's rhyme 'One, two, buckle my shoe'. Back home, Poirot is astonished to receive a call from Chief Inspector Japp, informing him that Mr Morley has shot himself.

If you love Poirot - dont hesitate!!

Always enjoyable and never obvious to solve - Agatha Christie delivers like no other writer in her genre. The Dramatised Radio versions are a blessin..Show More »g for those of us who grow to like TV less and less.

Evil Under the Sun

An exclusive hotel on a tiny picturesque island seems to be the ideal retreat for Hercule Poirot from the stresses of criminal detection. But with the appearance of the beautiful Arlena Stuart, the quiet and peaceful atmosphere becomes charged with an indefinable erotic tension. And when she is found viciously strangled in a secluded cove, there are few, especially among the women, who seem to feel either surprise or regret.

Another great BBC adaptation

The performances were wonderful and the adaptation of the book very skillfully done.

Five Little Pigs (Dramatised)

John Moffatt stars as the great Belgian detective in a BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation. Carla Lemarchant was a child of five when her mother was accused and convicted of poisoning her father, the famous painter Amyas Crale. After Caroline Crale dies in prison, Carla is sent to live with her uncle and aunt in Canada. Only on her twenty-first birthday does Carla learn of her family history when she reads a letter written by Caroline before her death, in which she denies murdering her husband.

Classic Poirot

This was a fun production. Agatha Christie rarely disappoints. Had to get used to the depiction of Hercule Poirot. Enjoyable, yet short.

Sometimes a book goes temporarily out of print - and sometimes no audio version has ever been recorded. Audible wants to give you the most complete selection we can and we'll keep adding series and filling in gaps as quickly as possible.

Sometimes a book goes temporarily out of print - and sometimes no audio version has ever been recorded. Audible wants to give you the most complete selection we can and we'll keep adding series and filling in gaps as quickly as possible.

Taken at the Flood (Dramatised)

Gordon Cloade is killed in a London air raid, and his vast fortune passes to his young wife Rosaleen. Five of his relatives are desperate to get their hands on Cloade's money, and Rosaleen begins to fear for her life. The prospects for the Cloades improve when they discover that Rosaleen had a previous husband who perished mysteriously in Africa. Then a mysterious stranger appears in the village, saying that he has something to communicate to her, but the following morning he is found dead.

The Witness for the Prosecution (Dramatised)

When Leonard Vole finds himself accused of murder, his predicament is made even worse when he discovers his wife to be the chief witness against him. The trial proceeds with a number of unexpected twists….

Sometimes a book goes temporarily out of print - and sometimes no audio version has ever been recorded. Audible wants to give you the most complete selection we can and we'll keep adding series and filling in gaps as quickly as possible.

Mrs McGinty's Dead (Dramatised)

The gruesome death of Mrs McGinty provokes Superintendent Spence to seek the help of his old ally Hercule Poirot. The victim’s young lodger has been found guilty and is due to hang. But Spence is not convinced by the circumstantial evidence which influenced the verdict. So, at considerable personal discomfort, Poirot goes down to the sleepy village where the old lady lived and where, by chance, his good friend Ariadne Oliver is also staying.

After the Funeral (Dramatised)

A BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation starring John Moffatt as the great Belgian detective. When Richard Abernethie, last master of Enderby Hall, dies suddenly in his sleep, the family are eager to discover how his riches have been divided. However, the reading of the will is rudely interrupted by his youngest sister, Cora: 'He was murdered, wasn't he?' she blurts out. Used to her inopportune remarks, the family ignore her. But the next day, when Cora herself is found brutally killed, they start to wonder.

Sometimes a book goes temporarily out of print - and sometimes no audio version has ever been recorded. Audible wants to give you the most complete selection we can and we'll keep adding series and filling in gaps as quickly as possible.

Dead Man's Folly (Dramatised)

Ariadne Oliver, Queen of Crime Fiction, has been asked to devise a Murder Hunt for a fête at Nasse House, the home of Sir George Stubbs. But she begins to suspect that someone is manipulating the scenario of her game and fears that something very sinister is being planned. She sends for her old friend Hercule Poirot. At first, he is not inclined to take her very seriously, but soon a series of events propels him to change his mind.

They Cut Too Much Out

First of all, let me say that Moffatt and McKenzie both did sublime jobs with their characterizations -- I felt like they really understood Agatha Chr..Show More »istie's vision of how Poirot and Ariadne Oliver would have sounded. The other characters, likewise, were well-cast. And the story itself is, in my opinion, definitely one of Agatha Christie's many best. The problem is that when abridging this down into a radio play, there was just too much cut. The fun of an Agatha Christie novel is the characters and sorting through all the red herrings -- but this story had so many characters cut down, that you didn't really have red herrings to play with. All those extra story lines that mix in with the murder in a Christie novel just weren't there. I was disappointed, especially since I felt like this particular cast could really have done a good job with a lengthier adaptation of the book.

I would recommend this audio program for car trips -- since it will entertain without distracting. However, as something to enjoy in the evening or at night, I would go with either a full audio book or a different radio play.

Sometimes a book goes temporarily out of print - and sometimes no audio version has ever been recorded. Audible wants to give you the most complete selection we can and we'll keep adding series and filling in gaps as quickly as possible.

The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding (Dramatised)

In this delightful tale, an Eastern Prince arrives in England with some family jewels which he’s having reset as a gift for his fiancée. However, the Prince also has a mistress; she asks to wear one particularly enchanting piece that features a huge ruby, and then promptly disappears with it. Poirot discovers a connection with a house party at the home of Colonel and Mrs Lacey, and in order to pursue his investigation an invitation is procured for him to the Laceys’.

Well done production

Agatha Christie very rarely disappoints me. Enjoyed this very much. Poriot has the enviable grey cells which get a work out again in this plot of intr..Show More »igue.

Sometimes a book goes temporarily out of print - and sometimes no audio version has ever been recorded. Audible wants to give you the most complete selection we can and we'll keep adding series and filling in gaps as quickly as possible.

Sometimes a book goes temporarily out of print - and sometimes no audio version has ever been recorded. Audible wants to give you the most complete selection we can and we'll keep adding series and filling in gaps as quickly as possible.

Sometimes a book goes temporarily out of print - and sometimes no audio version has ever been recorded. Audible wants to give you the most complete selection we can and we'll keep adding series and filling in gaps as quickly as possible.

Hallowe'en Party (Dramatised)

John Moffatt stars as the great Belgian detective in a BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation. Famous crime novelist Ariadne Oliver, visiting her friend Judith Butler in the little town of Woodleigh Common, is invited to a Hallowe'en Party put on by society hostess Mrs Rowena Drake for the local teenagers. During her preparations for the party, the conversation turns to Ariadne's grisly novels....

Elephants Can Remember (Dramatised)

Following an otherwise-enjoyable literary luncheon, the celebrated crime novelist Ariadne Oliver is accosted by a particularly formidable woman who engages her in conversation about one of her many god-daughters, whom Ariadne hasn’t seen since she was a child. She lands a bombshell with the question ‘What I want to know is this: did her mother kill her father, or was it the father who killed the mother?’

just a fun a story

Yes I would recommend this audio book because it is an easy story to listen to.

Sometimes a book goes temporarily out of print - and sometimes no audio version has ever been recorded. Audible wants to give you the most complete selection we can and we'll keep adding series and filling in gaps as quickly as possible.

Sometimes a book goes temporarily out of print - and sometimes no audio version has ever been recorded. Audible wants to give you the most complete selection we can and we'll keep adding series and filling in gaps as quickly as possible.